Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau seeks increase

• A year after asking unsuccessfully for a 6.9% rate increase, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will head back to the California Department this year with a request for a 0.3% increase over the current pure premium rates.
• The independent actuary for employers and organized labor, however, estimates that rates decrease by 7.3%.
• If Commissioner Ricardo Lara, as he has in the past, chooses the middle ground employers would receive a 3.2% rate decrease overall. Individual classes can go up or down as much as 25%.
• The insurer majority on the WCIRB Governing Committee joined together to reject a motion to use the public members’ actuary’s methodology for a rate.
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Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’ levies fine

• The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Special Investigations Division announced that Latisha Holloway recently pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ compensation fraud and has been ordered to pay $2,119.73, the remaining amount of her $12,585.19 restitution.
• Holloway became the subject of a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) investigation after receiving an allegation that she made statements to examining doctors that she may be working.
• The investigation collected and reviewed the evidence and confirmed Holloway was working for multiple employers while receiving BWC disability benefits.
• Holloway pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ comp fraud, a felony of the fifth degree. After already receiving a recoupment of $10,465.46 in March 2022, the judge ordered Holloway to pay the remaining $2,119.73 to BWC.
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Tyson workers protest

• Protesters voiced their demands at Tyson World Headquarters in Arkansas.
• Among their demands is full accountability for workers’ compensation claims and safer working conditions.
• Protesters had previously spoken with management at the Van Buren Plant, and when their demands were still unanswered, the group decided to travel up I-49 to the Tyson World Headquarters.
• Protesters say they faced many issues, such as being denied parking at the headquarters -despite being employees- and being told they couldn’t protest.
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NY man busted for workers’ comp fraud

• Jason Vega, of Marlboro, New York, was arrested for workers’ comp fraud.
• Vega presented medical reports, in support of an application for workers’ compensation benefits, which indicated he was unable to perform certain physical functions and movements.
• An investigation revealed that mere hours after claiming to be severely limited in his physical abilities, including his ability to walk, Vega was at a hardware store lifting and throwing heavy bags of stove pellets.
• Vega received in excess of $19,000 which he was not entitled.
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